Court rejects defamation case against Khaleda, Tarique, 4 others over anti-sculpture remarks

A Dhaka court on Thursday scrapped a defamation case filed against former prime minister Khaleda Zia, BNP's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and three others on the allegations of aiding anti-sculpture narratives.

Hefazat-e-Islam’s Ameer Junaid Babunagari, Joint General Secretary Mamunul Haque and Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Faizul Karim were the three others accused in the case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder passed the rejection order on Thursday,  said Sirajul Islam, bench-assistant of the court.

AB Siddiqui, president of a pro-Awami league organization called Jananetri Parishad, filed the case under Section 500, 501, 427 and 109 of the Penal Code with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder on Wednesday.

According to the case documents, on November 13, Mamunul Haque said: “There will be no sculptures in Bangladesh and we will not allow the construction of a sculpture of the Father of the Nation.”

On November 27, Junaid Babungari said: "If the country follows the Medina Charter, there will be no sculpture in the country." He also threatened to create a situation like the Shapla Chattar again.

Faizul Haque said in a speech: "If any sculpture is constructed in Bangladesh, it will be smashed and thrown into the Buriganga. If necessary, we will gather at Shapla Chattar again.”

The case file also stated that earlier, Khaleda Zia had said at a Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar that Sheikh Hasina would be brought down within 6am in the morning.